


Big Brother Ted

by annie55226



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Adopted Harry, Adopted Teddy, Age Regression/De-Aging, Alternate Universe, De-Aged Harry, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-11
Updated: 2016-09-25
Packaged: 2018-03-07 02:46:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 22,897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3158327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/annie55226/pseuds/annie55226
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Remus and Sirius married and adopted Teddy during the war.  After defeating Voldemort, Harry flees the country and de-ages himself, wanting to get away from it all.  This is the story of the Lupin-Blacks, as told from Remus' point of view.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is an idea that has been haunting me for awhile now, so I finally decided to take a crack at it. It definitely isn't something that I have seen around much...

"Teddy! Are you almost ready? We are going to be late enough as is," I yell up the stairs to where my five year old son is scrounging around his room trying to find his missing shoe. I can't help but mentally add, make sure Teddy cleans his room this weekend to the never ending list of things that should have been done last week.

"Calm down Rem, you still have plenty of time to drop Ted off at your parents before flooing to meet with the realtor," Sirius says walking up to me and hugging me from behind.

"I thought you already left? You're usually gone by this time in the morning," I comment, turning around to face my husband.

"I know, but Albus flooed asking for me to stop by for mid-morning tea so I flooed the office and told them I would be a little late. You know babe, I have been thinking of maybe leaving the aurors," Sirius says turning me to face him, but we are interrupted by Teddy bounding down the stairs and jumping into his Daddy's arms.

"Papa said you had to work this morning and that I wouldn't see you until dinner tonight!" He says sending me a small glare. I open my mouth to reply, but Sirius beats me to it.

"Hey pup, don't give your papa that look. He didn't think I'd be here either, I surprised you both!" he says hoisting Teddy up and swinging him up into the air to make him laugh.

"Well, are we ready then?" I ask, looking Teddy over to make sure he is properly dressed, while he is five and definitely able to dress himself, he does have a tendency to put shirts on backwards or mess up buttons.

"Why now?" I ask Sirius.

"I just feel like I have missed out on a lot, and that I continue to miss out on things… I don't want Teddy to grow up with me never being around," he says passing Teddy over to me.

"We will discuss this later. Has Albus heard from Harry?" I ask walking Teddy to the front door and grabbing his coat, helping him to put it on and then letting him zip it up. I may be summer but it is early enough to be slightly cool and there is a nice breeze.

It has been four years since the war ended and Harry disappeared off into the world. Harry took care of Voldemort, was treated by Madam Pomfrey, and promptly left. No one knows where he went off to, but he has stayed in contact with Sirius and I, sending us letters every now and then to try and keep us from worrying. We can't help ourselves though, I know I for one won't stop worrying until I can see for myself that he is alright.

Sirius and I have both tried multiple times to try and get Harry to come home, even if just for a short visit, but every time we say something he ignores it. We know he misses everyone, because he always asks how everyone is doing, and we understand that leaving was his way of coping and grieving. But now he needs to be home with his family.

"No, but I know he is worried… it's been months since he has contacted anyone," he replies walking over to me and giving me a peck on the lips, and bending to kiss Teddy's forehead as I shrug on my own jacket.

I nod my head in reply to Sirius, before grabbing Teddy's hand and leading us out of the house and onto the front stoop of Grimmauld place. I pick Teddy back up before apparating us to my parents' house. My parents have been great in helping us take care of Teddy. I lost my job not too long ago, and have been desperately looking for a new one. With Sirius working long hours at the aurors, my parents have been irreplaceable when it comes to watching Teddy while I job and house hunt.

Sirius and I want to move out of Grimmauld place, too many memories for the two of us, but there is no way we can based on the little money we have saved up over the years. Sirius and I for once agreed on something when it came to our money situation, and that was that we want to keep as far away from the Black vaults as possible. There really is no real justification for it other than pride, and wanting to leave as much money as we can to Teddy and any other future children we have.

Sirius and I have slowly been saving up ever since we got together, not long after Sirius escaped Azkaban. Sirius was stuck in Grimmauld place for two years before Peter was captured, and Sirius was declared free. Those two years, were terrible. I could tell Sirius was miserable, and since I was working and he was not, I started to put money aside towards us getting a new place. A few months after Sirius was proven innocent, we got married, and just when the peak of the war hit, Teddy came into our lives.

It doesn't take me long to drop Teddy off, only stopping in to say a quick hello to my parents and making sure Teddy is settled in. I then quickly apparate to our realtor's office. Despite mine and Sirius' hesitation in using the Black vaults, we have decided to sell Grimmauld place. There is nothing but bad memories and dark magic in that house. We are hoping to sell the house for enough that we can buy a new place. Hopefully somewhere out in the countryside.

For some reason, Sirius did not want to partake in choosing our new house, at all. He has given me full reign, his only request being that the new house is bright and has lots of windows, which given his history and time spent in Azkaban is totally understandable. This is the third time that I have met with the relator, and I am hoping it is the last.

* * *

We spend the majority of the morning looking at house after house, and finally just as we are drawing near lunch time and I am becoming desperate, we floo into a house that I can only describe as being perfect.

It has a large and open ground floor. The front door opens up into an entry way, and off to the left there is a large room that could be an office or small sitting room. Directly in front of the door is a grand staircase, just past the staircase leads into the family room (where we flooed in), and connected is the kitchen. To the right of the front door and connecting to the kitchen is the dining room.

Not only is the downstairs large and open, but the back of the house seems covered in windows. The fireplace is facing the front of the house, but there are large windows on either side of it. This makes the house look bright and cheerful.

We head upstairs, and there are four bedrooms. I don't know what we would ever do with that many bedrooms, but for a downside, that is really an upside. The house is set out in the countryside, Teddy definitely has lots of room to run around outside, and I can't help but cheer at that. Like any young boy Teddy is full of energy.

I tell the realtor that I will bring Sirius back to look at the house that night so we can make a decision. After leaving, I stop and buy a quick sandwich before heading to my other appointment of the day, aka my job interview at Florish and Blotts.

* * *

Florish and Blotts offers me a job as a day time manager, which I gladly accept. It is your typical day job, but I have always wanted to work at a bookstore so am excited to start. I apparate back to Grimmauld excited to tell Sirius about my successful day, and then spend the evening relaxing with my husband and son.

* * *

I find Sirius sitting in the kitchen staring off into the distance and absentmindedly stirring a cup of tea.

"Sirius? Everything all right?"

Sirius jumps before looking up at me and shrugging his shoulders. Not really sure what that means, I prod, "how was your meeting with Albus?"

"Interesting. Minerva was there. She offered me a job as the new transfiguration professor. Albus has finally decided to step down," he says staring down at the table. I frown, confused why this isn't making him happy. Wasn't it just this morning that he was saying he wanted to leave the aurors? Sounds like the perfect reason to.

"Well that's good isn't it? Why aren't you jumping up and down?"

"Albus found Harry, Remus."

"Really?! Where is he? How is he?" I ask unable to hide my surprise.

"He de-aged himself Remus. He was in Ireland and has been picked up by the child protective services there. They contacted Albus because Harry fudged the files before he did it. Listed Albus as his emergency contact. Apparently I am still listed as godfather. He asked if we would adopt him. I said yes. I know I should have talked to you first but-"

"No Sirius, you did the right thing. I can't image either of us ever saying no to taking Harry in. I guess it is a good thing the house I found today has four bedrooms…" I trail off.

"Harry wrote a letter to Albus explaining himself… He wanted a chance to be able to live life without constantly hiding from the media, and worrying about how others saw him. He changed files in the muggle world to ensure that Albus was contacted once he was deaged and found. He didn't want us to stop him, or try to talk him out of it."

"Oh Harry…" I mutter, collapsing into a chair at the table and staring down at my hands. I can't imagine what was going through his head to convince him to deage himself. Especially when we couldn't even get him to come home for a day.


	2. Chapter 2

After filling Sirius in on the potential house and my job offer, he explains that while he accepted Minerva's offer he declined on the offer to live in the castle. He says he doesn't want to ruin the magic of Teddy's first time at Hogwarts, but I think he was just using that as an excuse.

We went to the realtors, and Sirius got a tour of the house, before we agreed that we wanted it. We signed all the necessary paperwork before going and picking up Teddy from my parents. Dinner that evening was much quieter then usual. Sirius and I both had a lot on our minds and we knew that we had to address it all with Teddy, preferably tonight.

"We should ask Albus if we can borrow some house elves to help us move. When are we supposed to be getting Harry?" I ask while Sirius and I are cleaning up after dinner and Teddy is upstairs playing with his toys.

"He apparently flew in last night. Albus was going to go tonight and alter Harry's appearance, and the necessary memories to ensure that he isn't recognized. But he wanted us to go meet with Harry tomorrow."

"I only ask because it would be unfair to Harry if we were to get him settled in here just to move a couple of days later…"

"I'll write to Albus."

* * *

 

After cleaning the kitchen until it is nearly spotless, I know that we can delay the inevitable no longer. Sirius and I head upstairs and into Teddy's room, sitting down on Teddy's bed on either side of him.

"Well Teddy, today I met with Grandpa Albus and Auntie Minerva-" Sirius starts.

"At Hogwarts! Why didn't you take me with you! I could have gone and seen Fang and Hagrid!"

"I know you love to go visit them, but this was not a meeting for little boys," Sirius says, continuing, "Well, Auntie Minerva offered me a job teaching at Hogwarts. I accepted, and Papa was also offered a job today, working at Florish and Blotts in Diagon Alley."

"And you know that Daddy and I have been thinking of getting a new house, right? We have talked about this already?" I ask waiting for his nod before continuing. "Well I found a great new house for us today!" I say before explaining the new house and its location to him.

Sirius and I both hold our breath waiting to see what the reaction will be to this news. Teddy looks deep in thought before he starts talking.

"Well that's alright I suppose. We don't even have a yard here! And you said that our new house has a huge yard so there is lots of room to run around!"

After this declaration, I can't help but laugh. I have been so worried about what Teddy would say, and he definitely has seen the most out of the situation.

"Will I still go to school this year?"

"Well, not the one we were planning on sending you to, but you will go to Hogsmeade Primary School," I say running a hand through his hair. This is Teddy's first year of school, and I know that he is looking forward to starting and to meeting some new friends.

"Well I am glad that was settled so easily! Though we do have one more thing to talk to you about," Sirius says leaning back a bit so he can look Teddy in the eye. "As I said, I also saw Grandpa Albus today, and he told us about a little boy who is my godson whose parents passed away when he was younger, and he no longer has a place to stay. He is only four, so you are bigger than him, but-"

"Is he going to come stay with us?" I am almost happy he asks the question, stopping us from figuring out a way to tell him.

"We would like to adopt him and make him a part of the family, yes."

"So he'd be my little brother? I've always wanted to be a big brother."

"Yes, he'd be your little brother. And it will never change the way Daddy and I feel about you, we aren't trying to replace you, and we will never love you any less than we do now," I say pulling my little boy into a hug. Sometimes it surprises me how understanding and wise little kids can be.

"I think we should do it. He doesn't have any parents, and if I didn't have you or Daddy I'd be very sad, and I'd want someone to share their parents with me too."

"How did we luck out and get such a great kid?" Sirius jokingly asks leaning in to give Teddy and me a hug as well.

"When can I meet him?" Teddy asks, surprising us both.

* * *

 

Many hours later, after Sirius and I have answered all of the random questions Teddy had, and he is tucked up in his bed fast asleep, I find myself sitting in the kitchen with a glass of tea thinking of how this one day turned our whole family upside down, hopefully for the better.

* * *

 

Sirius and I wake up Teddy the next morning and Sirius floos him right over to my parents' house, still in his pajamas. I quickly shower and get dressed knowing that both Sirius and I can't wait to see Harry and start to settle our little family in to our new home. Sirius quickly explains the situation to my parents, and though they are shocked at the fact that we are adopting a new son they are happy for us.

We arrive at the Headmaster's office to meet Albus.

"I was wondering when you two would be arriving. Sirius I got your letter last night, and I am sure that we have a few house elves that could help you pack up your house and move into your new place," he says smiling at us standing basically in the mouth of the fireplace.

He calls a house elf to lead a group to help us, and quickly hands out his instructions to it before leading the way to the floo. He leads the way through the floo network and to our meeting with Harry.

Harry and the government official had been notified that we were coming, and were sitting waiting for us in some government office. I don't even know what town I am in, but I trust Albus to know where we are going. Sirius and I follow him out of the floo and out of the restaurant that we had arrived in. We walk through the streets for a while, before we finally reach a large brick building and head inside, where Albus exchanges some quick words with the secretary before motioning us to follow.

* * *

 

We walk into a small office that contains only a few book shelves, a couch, and a desk. There is a stern looking woman sitting at the desk, but my eyes are immediately drawn to the young boy sitting on the couch looking miserable. I immediately head towards the boy, who has light brown hair, not far different than my own, but with a slightly red tone, and Sirius follows not far behind me while Albus heads over to the woman.

"Hi Harry," I say softly kneeling down in front of him. He looks up, and I am slightly startled to see bright blue eyes. I knew he was going to look different but it is still unexpected. When he doesn't say anything I continue. "My name is Remus, and this is my husband Sirius," I say while the boy continues to stare.

"We were both real good friends of your parents, and I am your godfather. Do you know what that means?" Sirius asks while trying to make eye contact with the boy, who shakes his head. "It means that if something were to happen to your parents that made them unable to take care of you, they wanted me to take over for them. So that's the question, do you want to come live with us?"

"You don't have to make a decision right now, we can spend a couple of days just meeting and getting to know each other if you'd like. But either way, you also need to know that the two of us also have a son. His name is Teddy and he is five, so just a year older than you," I say taking back over the conversation. He nods his head, before taking a deep breath and seeming to have an internal debate. Harry may not have told Sirius and me everything about his life with the Dursleys, but we know enough to know it wasn't a happy home.

"It's alright Harry, you can ask whatever you want," I say while laying a hand on the boy's shoulder. I feel him tense, like he isn't used to being touched but he doesn't toss my hand off. I frown slightly when I realize that that is probably true.

"Do you think Teddy will like me?" he mutters staring down at his knees.

"Oh, I am sure he will! As long as you are nice to him, but Teddy has always wanted to have a little brother," Sirius says sending me a small smile.

"A-a brother?"

"Yes Harry. If you come and live with us, we would want to adopt you and make you our son as well. That way no one can take you from us, and we will all be together as a family," Sirius says, never breaking eye contact with the boy.

"Really?! You want to adopt me? Honest?" he asks looking up at me as if I am going to deny everything Sirius has said and claim it all as a joke.

"Yes Harry. We want to adopt you and have you come live with us and Teddy," I say softly, pulling the boy into a hug when I see the tears in his eyes. "Hush pup, it'll all be alright soon," I mutter as I feel him tremble in my arms, and I begin to rub his back.

I stand up, still holding Harry in my arms and take a seat on the couch, my knees were starting to protest kneeling on the ground the way I was, but I was unwilling to let go of Harry so I settle him on my lap, where he continues to press his face into my shoulder. I feel Sirius sit down next to me, and look up to see the sorrow in his face that I am sure I am reflecting. The amount of pain in this little boy makes me feel like I didn't do nearly enough for Harry in his first childhood.

"You feel better now Harry?" I ask as his sniffles settle down. I feel him nod his head. I wouldn't be surprised if the boy fell asleep after a big cry like that. I start to sway my body a bit rocking him slightly, feeling him relax even more.

I look down at him, to find him staring up at me studying my face.

"Will you be my daddy then?" he asks me, and I can't help but feel startled. I never expected him to want to call me that so early on.

"Well, Teddy calls me Daddy," Sirius says cutting in, and Harry looks heartbroken for a moment, so Sirius is quick to continue, "But, he calls Remus Papa. Would it be alright if I was your daddy, and Remus was your papa as well?" he asks while leaning over to card a hand through the boy's hair.

Harry breaks into a huge grin while quickly nodding his head, and I can't help but smile myself. Sirius and I spend the next little while introducing Harry to the concept of magic, before telling him about Hogwarts, and a little bit about Teddy as well. Once we finish talking, I look down to see that Harry is only minutes away from sleep. So I stand up, holding him in my arms and gently rock him off to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Once Harry was deeply asleep, we flooed back to Hogwarts and from there, I headed to Grimmauld while Sirius headed to my parents to pick up Teddy. With having two boys now Sirius and I are going to have to sit down and try to coordinate our schedules with the boys' school schedules. Teddy starts primary school this year, and Harry will start going to preschool. My parents are both retired, and my mom has been watching Teddy once or twice a week when I had been working and he only had half days of school. She loved it, but I don't know if she would still be willing to when we now have two boys.

I walk into the sitting room and lay Harry down on a couch before throwing a blanket on him. The sitting room is across from the living room that I know Sirius and Teddy will use if they floo instead of apparate. I don't want to put Harry up in a bedroom, in case he wakes up and we aren't around. I don't want him to panic.

I grab a book and settle down in my chair across the hall from Harry.

"Papa!" I hear Teddy yell as he walks into the house, he must have been shushed by Sirius because the noise cuts off half way through.

I hear Teddy head up the stairs and into his room and not long after, Sirius makes an appearance in the doorway.

"Harry asleep? Teddy is super excited to meet him, wouldn't stop talking about it. Your mom wants you to floo call her tonight or tomorrow by the way. I think she is mad we didn't tell her we were thinking of adopting."

"I'll do it once the boys are in bed tonight. I did a little scope around, and it looks like the house is mostly packed up. Once Harry wakes up we will have to head to our new house."

We sit together for a little while, me going back to my book, until Teddy joins us announcing that he is bored. One advantage of our new house is that it is a cross between a muggle and magical household. Not only do I know that Teddy will like the addition of a television but I also know that the muggle appliances will comfort Harry. He will have some things that he recognizes while his life is basically turned upside down.

When I realize that it is has been almost two hours since Harry fell asleep, I decide to go wake him up. I don't want him to sleep too much because then he won't sleep tonight. I get up and walk across the hall, stopping in the hallway when I hear Teddy and Sirius laughing upstairs.

"Hey Harry," I say softly, sitting down next to the boy noticing that he is already awake. "Have you been awake long?"

He shakes his head. "I didn't know where you were, I thought that I had dreamt it all," he says while tears come to his eyes once again.

"Oh pup," I mutter before scooping him up into my arms again. "I'm sorry you thought that, we were only right across the hall. Teddy is back from school and we didn't want to wake you."

For some reason, that seems to only make the boy cry harder. I pull him closer to me, so his head is resting on my shoulder again, and start to rub his back trying to calm him down.

"It's been such a long day huh buddy… I am sure after a good night's sleep tonight, you will feel much better tomorrow," I say to him while placing a kiss on the top of his head as he starts to settle down. "Now, how about we go find Sirius and Teddy? I know that Teddy is really excited to meet you."

"Really?"

"Really really," I reply, putting Harry onto the floor and grabbing his hand. I lead the way up the stairs and to Teddy's room.

As soon as we walk through the doorway, Teddy is there rushing towards us.

"Hiya Harry!" he says excitedly, and the little boy doesn't know what to do, so grabs my hand tighter before trying to hide his face in my pants.

"It's alright," I say, picking him up once again, grabbing Teddy's hand, and walking over to the bed. I sit down on the edge of the bed, and Sirius comes over sitting down next to me, before picking Teddy up and placing him in his own lap. I turn Harry so that he is sitting sideways in my lap, facing both Teddy and Sirius.

"Harry, this is Teddy," I say indicating the other boy. Now that the two of them are so close to each other I can't help but be startled by their size differences. Teddy has to easily be a head taller than Harry, and he definitely has more meat on his bones. "Teddy, this is Harry."

"Hi Harry," Teddy says, much calmer this time but still with a huge smile. "I've always wanted to have a brother. I am really excited that you are coming to live with us."

"Really? You don't mind at all? I lived with my aunt, uncle and cousin before and my cousin didn't like me at all… he used to chase me with his friends, and one time he gave me a bloody nose," he says looking at Teddy fearfully. I glance up at Sirius, and see him start to say something, but shake my head, wanting to see what Teddy says.

"Well that's terrible! Big brothers protect their little brothers! I would never chase you and if your cousin or anyone else ever tries to hurt you, I will teach them a lesson!" Teddy says fiercely, and before anyone can move, Harry has launched himself out of my lap and at Teddy, giving the older boy a huge hug, that he reciprocates with the same amount of energy and emotion.

* * *

We then decide to head over to our new home. Harry and Teddy are inseparable at this moment, so I floo first, with the two boys clutching each other's' hands while Sirius seals up the house and follows after.

It's crazy the difference in the house now that it has most of our stuff in it. While the ground floor looks a lot less open now filled with furniture, the presence of our stuff makes it feel more like home.

"Alright boys. There are four bedrooms upstairs. Two of them have an en suite bathroom, one of those rooms will be mine and Daddy's while the other will be a guest room. The other two rooms are right next to each other, and across the hall from them is a bathroom. These will be your rooms and you two will share a bathroom.

"One room is green and the other is blue but otherwise they are identical to each other. You guys can pick who gets what, but know that we can change the color if you want us to!" I yell the last bit as Teddy races off up the stairs, dragging Harry along to go look at the rooms.

"Where are the boys?" Sirius asks flooing in behind me and stepping out of the fireplace.

"Fighting over who gets what room."

"Alright boys, tell me who gets which room, and then it will be time for dinner!" Sirius yells as he walks up the stairs. I smile and head to the kitchen to start some pasta for dinner.

* * *

It's doesn't take long for the food to be ready, and Sirius walks downstairs without the boys. Teddy decided he wanted the blue room, and though Sirius asked Harry if he wanted us to change the color of the green room, he insisted that green is his favorite color.

Each room is equipped with a bed that is raised up on a platform, leaving plenty of floor space for the boys to play on. Each room also has a window, with a window seat, and a desk. There's a couple of dressers, a large closet, and an end table for the bed, but none of those objects really got either boys' attention, according to Sirius.

"Albus thought of everything," Sirius says walking up behind me where I am at the stove stirring the pasta.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, while I was up there with the boys, I looked through some of their drawers. Most of Teddy's old clothes, or at least anything that could fit Harry is in his room. It also looks like Albus went shopping for some new things for him as well. We will have to go and get him some toys and such though."

"Let's try to go tomorrow, the sooner we get Harry some things, the sooner he can start believing that he is staying here with us. We should also probably call and make an appointment for him with a healer, you know make sure everything is all right," I say, grabbing the pasta off of the stove and draining it in the sink.

As I finish up with dinner, Sirius goes upstairs to round up our boys to eat. I make some plates of food and poor glasses of milk for both of the boys before setting them on the table.

"Wash your hands please!" I hear Sirius call as he comes back down the stairs.

Dinner that night is a bit quiet. Harry is the most silent of us all but seems to be comfortable where he is, and Sirius and I try to leave him be despite wanting to know how he feels. After dinner, Sirius offers to clean up and do the dishes, so I take the boys into the family room for a little while. Teddy goes upstairs to get his building blocks, and soon the family room is filled with towers.

"Alright boys, how about we clean up the blocks and watch a show," Sirius says walking into the family room and taking a seat next to me on the couch which I had recently occupied when I left the boys to their block building on the floor. I take a look at the clock and understand that Sirius is trying to calm the boys down to prep for bed.

We turn the TV onto some cartoon children's show, and it doesn't take long before the two boys are hooked. After only fifteen minutes of watching, I notice that Harry is starting to fall asleep on the couch. I pick him up before turning to Sirius.

"I'm going to go give Harry a bath and put him to bed," I say as Harry snuggles into my arms.

"Goodnight Harry," he says softly standing up so he can give the boy a kiss on the forehead.

"'Night," Harry mumbles smiling sleepily.

Bath time happens with little fuss. Harry is far too sleepy to care, so I wash him up really quick before dressing him in some warm pajamas. I carry him to his room, turning on a night light in the room and one in the bathroom, before tucking him in.

"Goodnight Harry, if you need anything come and get either Sirius or I," I say, brushing the hair out of his face. "Sleep well," I say before leaning down and giving him a kiss on the forehead.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I know it seems like forever since I last updated and I am really sorry about that. This new chapter is longer, so maybe that makes up for it? I was originally going to split it into two chapters, but I didn't like my options on where to split so finally just settled on keeping it as one...
> 
> I hope you enjoy, and let me know what you think!!

With Harry asleep in his bed, I make myself and Sirius some tea before returning to Teddy and Sirius in the living room.

"Hiya Papa!" Teddy says when I walk into the room, and he quickly adjusts so that I can sit next to him on the couch, I do so setting the tea down on the table.

"Hey kiddo," I respond carding my fingers through his hair. I look up and notice that the show we had been watching is over.

"Well, you still have a little time until bedtime, so why don't you go find a toy to play with quietly. But please try to keep your voice down, Harry is already asleep in bed," I say setting the boy down on his feet.

"You can play for half an hour than Papa or I will come get you for your bath," Sirius says as Teddy runs past and up the stairs to his room, before slamming the door shut. I cringe and sit in the silence straining for any sound from Harry's bedroom.

"Do you want me to go check on him?" Sirius asks me, taking his tea cup from the table beside me and joining me on the couch.

"No, I don't want to wake him. If you go in after the door slamming, I don't think he would just fall back asleep. Let's just wait and see what happens, he might not have even woken up."

We sit in a peaceful silence, just enjoying each other's company until Sirius gets up to go take Teddy to his bath. I can't help but be happy that I do not have to deal with Teddy's bath tonight. He has never been a huge fan of them, but recently he has become obsessed with playing in the bath. So much so, that it is near impossible to get him out of the tub.

"Remus, Teddy has requested you for story time tonight," Sirius says after some time has passed. I look up from the book I had been reading to see him grinning from ear to ear.

"Well! We better not keep him waiting!" I joke, setting my book down, and leading the way up the stairs.

I walk into Teddy's room to find him already tucked into bed with the book of Grimm Fairytales sitting on his lap. I grab the book before sitting down on the bed next to Teddy, while Sirius pulls the desk chair over to the bed before sitting down as well.

Teddy is still awake by the time I finish the story, but looking at the clock I notice that it is much past his bedtime, so no matter how much he begs I refuse to start another one. I set the book down on the bedside table before standing up.

"Goodnight pup, love you lots. If you need anything, come get me or Daddy," I say bending down to place a kiss on his forehead. Sirius follows suit, before turning off the lights and turning on the night light.

"Well, it's now or never I suppose," I say to Sirius walking out of Teddy's room and down to our new living room so I can floo over to my parents'. "Will you be alright here for a little while? I'll try not to be too long but who knows with my parents."

"Why don't you call over there and invite them here. I'll put on some tea and then we can both face your mother together. You know she is going to be upset that we didn't tell her we were considering adopting again," he says walking over to me and patting me on the back in a way that says he's glad he isn't me.

"Alright, but get out some of those chocolate covered biscuits my dad like. Got to butter up at least one of them, right?" I joke before heading over to the floo. I toss in some powder before kneeling and sticking my head into the flames.

"Hello Remus! Hope! Remus is here!" My dad calls for my mother, while standing from his chair where he had been sitting reading. He was probably just waiting for me to arrive. "I hope you aren't really planning on having this conversation with your mother through the floo. She has quite a few things to say to you," he says turning to me and raising an eyebrow.

"Actually, I was just stopping by to invite you over for a cup of tea. Sirius thought that would be the best. Plus then you can see a bit of our new house."

"Alright. Step back, I'll go find your mother and we will be right through," he says, so I tell him our new Floo location before pulling my head from the flames.

* * *

Sirius finishes making the tea, and carries the tray out to the living room, while I tidy up the blocks Harry and Teddy were playing with earlier.

"Sirius! Remus! I already love your house and I've only seen the living room," my mother says stepping through the flames and pulling Sirius into a hug before heading my way. As she hugs me, my father arrives and he gives Sirius a hug before reaching for me as well.

"Come, I'll show you the downstairs. You'll have to come back during the day sometime and get a tour of the upstairs. I know Teddy is going to want to show off his new bedroom," I say before leading them into the kitchen.

My mother loves the kitchen, just like I thought she would. She comments on how nice the wood cabinets are and the how large and open it is. I know it won't be long before she is over here baking cookies with the boys or cooking some sort of meal.

We then walk through the dining room, though there isn't much to see there, nor in the office space on the other side of the front door. I know Sirius will take over that space. He'll need it now that he is going to have to start grading papers and writing tests.

We then join Sirius in the living room, where I sit down next to Sirius on the couch and wait for my mom to say something. I know it is only a matter of time.

"So, tell us about you new boy," Dad says as a conversation starter.

So Sirius quickly starts in on the tale of how Harry entered our lives, and a bit about him as well, we've only had him for a day though so there isn't a whole bunch to say.

"And Teddy is fine with everything?" Mom asks, staring at me.

"Harry and Teddy are getting along great actually. So far there haven't been any issues but we know not to expect things to be like this forever. Tomorrow we plan on taking the boys shopping. Albus got Harry some new clothes and when the house elves moved us they seemed to have put some of Teddy's old things away in Harry's room as well. But he obviously needs some toys, and a new pair of shoes and maybe a jacket…" I trail off thinking of all of the random little things we should buy for Harry. I should start a list.

"You will both love him. We plan on starting Harry in pre-school in the fall while Teddy starts primary school. We thought since Teddy was going to go to school in Hogsmede we'd look into sending Harry to school near there as well. And then comes the task of sorting out our schedules with the boys'. There is still a lot to be done," Sirius says taking over.

"Well your mother and I would like to help in whatever way we can. We loved having Teddy over a couple of times a week last year, so if you need us to do that with Harry please don't hesitate to ask," my dad says smiling and reaching for a biscuit on the table. I am actually surprised he held out this long.

"Why didn't you tell us you were thinking of adopting again? You know we just want you to be happy and it seems that the two of you have put some thought into this, but I can't help but feel that this has all happened a bit quickly. I just worry about you boys," my mom says sending us a concerned look and I can't say I blame her for feeling this way.

It has happened very fast, and if it wasn't Harry I'd be feeling way more overwhelmed by everything. I am not saying that I am not stressed about it all, just that Harry makes it worth it. I know I am willing to do anything for that boy.

"It has happened quickly but I don't regret doing it. We didn't tell you we were looking to adopt because we weren't even sure that we wanted to. But then when we saw Harry we knew he was right for us. We couldn't leave him, and we ended up having to take him in a lot sooner than expected. But now we just need to let things settle and get back into routine," I say nervously hoping that my parents buy the little white lie that I have to tell.

Mom takes a moment before nodding her head, and I look up to see Dad watching the two of us, before he shrugs a shoulder and nods as well. Now that Mom knows a bit more about the situation I can tell she feels better knowing that we didn't purposefully leave her out. I know once she has had the time to see us all together, and knows that things are going to work out she will stop questioning all of it.

"You two are going to have to get some sibling photographs done soon so I can have pictures of my grandsons to show off!" she says with a smile, and I know everything is going to be alright.

* * *

My parents don't stay too much longer, knowing that we have two young boys upstairs that will be up in the morning whether we are ready for them or not. We both hug them goodbye and after Mom floos, Dad turns to us.

"I want you to know that your mother and I know that the two of you aren't telling the whole truth about this situation, but I trust that you have made the best decision. I just want you to remember that Hope and I will never judge you, so if you ever need someone to talk to we are here," he says before grabbing some floo powder and leaving.

Sirius and I share a long look before deciding to head to bed ourselves. It has been a long day, there is no need to add to it.

* * *

"AHHHHHH!" I jump up, startled awake by a loud wail. I turn to Sirius and see him in a similar state of panic.

"You check on Harry, I'll check on Teddy," he says, throwing himself out of bed, grabbing his wand and slipping on his slippers. I don't hesitate to follow.

I follow Sirius down the hall, passing him when he stops at Teddy's door.

"Harry?" I ask walking into the room, and turning on the lights to a low setting. If he is still asleep I don't want to startle him awake. I walk over to the bed to find it empty. "Harry?" I ask again, trying to stop myself from panicking. He has to still be in the house, the doors are warded to prevent the boys from wandering off on their own. That doesn't mean that I don't panic when I find his bed empty.

I quickly check under the bed before walking out of the room to check the bathroom. While walking back to Harry's room, I pass Sirius and Teddy in the hall.

"The scream woke him up. He asked to sleep in our room tonight," Sirius says, carrying a sleepy Ted in his arms. "I'm going to go lay him down in our bed, I'll be back shortly."

I nod my head, before heading back to Harry's room. Unlike before, I can now hear some soft sniffles. I follow them to the closet. I slowly open the door to find Harry curled up in a ball in the back corner, with his arms wrapped around himself, with tears streaming down his face.

"Hey Harry," I say softly, trying not to startle him. It isn't very successful though, because he still jerks back smacking the back of his head against the wall behind him which causes him to yelp in pain. Despite my earlier plan to wait until Harry came to me, I can't ignore his pain so move forward scooping him up and carrying him out of the closet.

I quickly notice that he has wet bottoms so I know to avoid the bed choosing instead to grab one of the blankets off of the bed and wrap him up before carrying downstairs. First I will calm him down a bit before throwing him into a bath to clean him up. I carry him out into the living room where Sirius is waiting for us with a cup of hot cocoa for the boy.

"Hey kiddo," he says softly, running his fingers through his hair, causing Harry to flinch away when he reaches a tender spot on the back of his head. Sirius looks up at me in confusion.

"He hit the back of his head on the closet wall. Will you put some pain relief potion in his cocoa? And maybe a little bit of a calming draught? He had an accident, so he is going to need a bath before we can put him back to bed," I explain softly, rubbing Harry's back to try and calm him though it only seems to make him cry harder.

Sirius quickly runs a diagnostic charm to make sure Harry's head isn't severely injured before adding the necessary potions to the cocoa and handing me the mug.

"Here kiddo," I say softly, moving the mug up towards his face but he only shirks away. "It's alright, it's just some hot cocoa. Come on now pup, it will make you feel better," I say trying to coax him into drinking it.

When I can't get him to drink it, Sirius takes Harry from my arms before sitting down on the couch with the boy on his lap. Harry is securely wrapped up in the blanket sitting with his back against Sirius' chest and his head on Sirius' shoulder. If the boy wasn't so upset, I would comment on how sweet the two of them look all snuggled together.

Sirius reaches for the cup of cocoa, before pressing it to the boy's lips. I watch as Harry takes a small sip. Upon realizing that it does in fact taste good, he eagerly drinks a bit more. Noticing that I am not needed I head back to Harry's room.

I quickly strip the sheets and blankets off of the bed, and throw them in the hamper to be dealt with tomorrow. I cast a quick scourgify on the mattress before putting a clean set of sheets and blankets on the bed. I then head into the bathroom, starting the bath before heading to mine and Sirius' room to check on Teddy.

"Hey kiddo, you still up?" I whisper softly sitting down next to him on the bed.

"Yeah, is Harry ok?" he asks me.

"He'll be alright. He just had a bad dream, and when he woke up he didn't know where he was and was very scared," I say pulling Teddy up onto my lap. We have more than one scared child tonight, and even though Teddy isn't acting upset I know he needs just as much love and comfort.

"Do you think he'd feel better if he had a plushy? Stripes always makes me feel better if I wake up from a bad dream. Especially cause I can tell him all about the dream and that always helps," he says, talking about his favorite stuffed dog that he has had since he was a babe. He sits, playing with the buttons on my shirt with said dog tucked safely under one arm.

"Maybe. We will have to buy him one when we go shopping," I say to him.

"I have lots of plushys. He can have Snuffles, I hardly ever play with him anyways. Do you think that'd help?"

"I don't know, why don't you go get Snuffles, while I go check on Daddy and Harry? Then you can ask Harry if he wants Snuffles," I say smiling down at the boy in my lap. He gives me a huge smile, happy to be able to help, before jumping off of my lap and hurrying down the hall to his room.

I walk back to the bathroom, finding Sirius quickly washing up Harry who still has tears falling down his face but seems a lot calmer. Though that could just be from the potion.

"How's it going in here?" I ask softly, so as not to startle Harry.

"Alright, can you go grab some clean pajamas for Harry? Then I can change him in here and we don't need to go back to his room till tomorrow. I don't want to set him off again," Sirius says turning to me. I nod my head and quickly do as I am asked. I pass Teddy in the hallway and tell him to head back to mine and Sirius' room.

Sirius and I quickly get Harry dressed in his clean pajamas, before Sirius scoops him up and carries him to our room. When Harry sees Teddy he seems to try to hide in Sirius' neck, and Sirius lets Harry try to calm himself down while sitting down on the bed. Teddy crawls over to them on the bed before sitting down next to Sirius and patting Harry on the back, and I can't help but grin to myself.

"It's ok Harry. I have bad dream sometimes too but Papa and Daddy always make it better. And hugging my stuffed dog, Stripes, helps too. I've got another stuffed dog, I thought maybe you could have him cause I know he gets lonely when I spend time with Stripes… his name is Snuffles cause when you hug him he makes this little huffing noise," Teddy says before holding out the small all black dog.

"I can keep him?" Harry asks Teddy softly, turning his head towards him. "And he's not broken or nothing? Are you sure?"

Teddy nods his head, before holding the dog a little closer to Harry. Harry hesitantly reaches out a hand before grabbing the stuffed dog and hugging him close.

"Alright, well I think that that is enough excitement for one night, don't you? How about we all try to get some sleep?" Sirius says standing up to pull the blankets back before laying down with Harry curled into his side, hugging his new plushy tightly against his chest.

I follow Sirius' lead and lay down on the other side of the bed, where Teddy quickly attaches himself to my side with his blue and white striped dog tucked in between us.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys! I am so so so so so sorry that it has taken me over a month to post. How has it been more than a month?? I swear time is flying by, I don't know what's going on... but a new chapter is finally here! 
> 
> Not only was this chapter so difficult for me to write (I kept coming up with other ideas for future chapters, it was bad) but I also lost internet for awhile as well...but I guess what's done is done, right? Hopefully you like it!

I am the first person to wake up the next morning, and can't help but smile when I look over at my three boys sleeping peacefully. Harry and Teddy have rolled closer to each other during the night and they are now cuddled together while hugging their plushys. I know that I should go get the camera out for this, so I take a quick picture before getting ready for the day. When I come out of the bathroom, Sirius is awake.

"Hey, I am going to go fix breakfast," I say giving him a quick peck on the lips before heading downstairs.

I walk into the kitchen and start opening various cupboards trying to find the pancake mix and the proper pan I need. One thing that is terrible about the move is that we now have to try and figure out where everything is.

"So, I was thinking that we should head to Hogwarts today as well. I think Harry would like to see where I am at all day, and maybe we can get Madam Pomfrey to look him over. I don't think he has any of his vaccinations, and if he is starting school he'll need them," Sirius says to me as I start the pancake mix.

"Maybe we should wait and do that tomorrow, we can head to Hogsmeade then as well and register the boys for classes and let them see the place. And don't you think we should take Harry to the healer we normally take Teddy to?" I ask him.

"I just thought Madam Pomfrey would be easier, but I'll floo St. Mungo's and see if I can get an appointment in for tomorrow," Sirius says, nodding his head to himself.

"We should also go introduce Harry to my parents' sometime soon. If my mom watches the boys for us Harry is going to need to be comfortable there. We can't just throw him into a new situation like that… Now, do you want blueberry or chocolate chip pancakes this morning?" I ask, mixing the bowl of batter that I had whipped up.

"Definitely blueberry. We don't need two kids hyped up on chocolate the morning of a shopping trip. Besides, I am sure that Teddy will convince us that a stop at Honeydukes is necessary today. Though you know, if you're bored, you could always make some of those cinnamon rolls as well. I bet Harry and Teddy would appreciate that."

I snort, "I'm sure you would like that as well. I'll make them tomorrow, we don't need pancakes and cinnamon rolls. So, today we will do some shopping this morning stop someplace for lunch and then head to my parents for dinner? Would you mind flooing my parents after you've called St. Mungo's to see if that works for them? Also, if you need to get some work done feel free to duck out and head to Hogwarts."

As Sirius leaves, I finish making the pancake batter before heading back upstairs to wake up the two boys. I shake them awake while softly calling their names, and Harry jerks awake quickly becoming distraught. I have a feeling he forgot where he was.

"You're alright Harry. You are with me, and your new Daddy and your new brother Teddy," I mutter to him, pulling him onto my lap and rubbing his back. Teddy sits up more awake than Harry before complaining that he is hungry, so I stand up keeping a hold of Harry while leading the way down to the kitchen.

Harry calms down fairly quickly but seems more than content to stay in my arms, so I sit with him for a minute and wait for Sirius to return from his floo calls. I then put Harry in his lap and finish making the pancakes. Once everyone is served, Sirius puts Harry in the seat next to him and we all dig in. I notice though that Harry doesn't seem to be eating and just is pushing his food around the plate. I don't want to draw attention to it because I don't want to embarrass him, but I make sure to note to myself to keep an eye out on his eating habits today.

As soon as we are finished, Sirius starts to clean up while I lead the boys upstairs. They are both old enough to pick out their own clothes, but I just make sure that what they wear is appropriate for the day. In other words, I have to veto Teddy wanting to wear his favorite jumper, knowing that it is much too warm out for that kind of clothing.

We head back downstairs, where Teddy insists on tying his shoes on his own. He is just learning how to do it, and while he can normally do it on his own every once and a while he gets tripped up. Harry watches Teddy tie his own laces before looking down at his own.

"Do you want me to do it?" I ask him, noticing that he is still just standing and staring at his laces.

"I wanna do it too," he says looking up to me.

"Well do you know how?" I ask him and he shakes his head. "Alright, for now I will tie them but I can teach you how and if you practice, you will be able to tie your own laces in no time," I say smiling down at him and ruffling his hair before kneeling down to lace up his shoes.

* * *

Our first stop when reaching the leaky cauldron, is to head out to muggle London to find Harry some muggle clothing. It's a lot cheaper to buy their clothing that way then it is to have Madam Malkin make clothes for the boys. I leave Harry with Sirius to pick out a couple of new things while dragging Teddy off to try on new coats. Somehow he ended up with a giant whole in one of the armpits of his coat. Who knows what he did to get that.

After grabbing coats for both boys, we head to the shoe department where Sirius and I agreed to meet. After getting Teddy into a pair of shoes he liked (they had to have laces now that he knows how to tie them, and they had to be purple because Merlin apparently wears purple robes and he is Teddy's favorite), Sirius and Harry finally make their way into the shoe department. I make quick work of getting Harry into trying out his new coat, before unleashing him in the aisle to pick out a pair of shoes he likes.

I can tell he has his eye set on a pair of light up shoes, but he doesn't make any move towards them instead walking to the end of the aisle and picking up a green and grey pair of shoes that tie.

"What about these ones Harry?" I ask picking up dark blue pair that have lights all along the bottom. He looks up at me before shaking his head. "Are you sure? You could use two pairs of shoes, one to use for school and one for play. Those could be for school and these could be for play. Or we could get you a pair of slip-ons…." I trail off to myself looking at the shelf of shoes.

In the end, Sirius coaxes Harry into making a decision, and he decides on the green and grey sneakers and a pair of blue slip-ons that light up along the tops of them when Harry walks. I make sure to add a pair of dress shoes as well, knowing that they will be needed when we go to the start of the year feast at Hogwarts.

Before leaving, I send Sirius to the toy aisle with Harry and Teddy before heading to find some new rugs for our new bathrooms and one for the dining room. Might as well get as much done as we can while we are here. After finding the rugs and grabbing some new towels and plastic cups with super heroes on them for the boys I head to the toy aisle.

I find them sitting on the floor of the aisle while Sirius reads them a book. I glance into the cart and see a tub of dinosaurs, a new plushy that is in the shape of an owl, a wooden train set, and some building blocks to add to the already large collection we have at home. I look at the shelf of toys, before adding some Legos and a couple of tubs of Play-Doh to the cart. Both of those are things most kids enjoy, and you can never have too many of.

After adding the book about dinosaurs that Sirius is reading, and a book about a talking car, we head to the check out. Sirius and I have to balance our multitude of bags while also each keeping a hold of one boy on the short walk back to the Leaky Cauldron. The walk back seems much longer then the walk to the store. As soon as we are inside we make short work of shrinking the bags before leading the boys out into Diagon Alley.

We head first to Madam Malkins, one thing we have learned since shopping with Teddy is that any non-fun/necessary stops should be made first. Harry is quickly measured while I pick out a pair of dress robes and casual robes for him and a cloak as well. They will only really need robes if we attend any magical events or if the boys spend a day at Hogwarts. But, it's better to have them, then to been in a bind when we don't have them but need them.

After Madam Malkins, we allow Teddy to drag us off to the Quality Quidditch Supply Shop knowing that he can't wait to introduce Harry to flying and Quidditch. One of the new things that they have been selling is a mini Quidditch pitch along with players that you can then direct to play against another team. Teddy has had his eye on it since they came out, and Sirius and I are thinking of buying him one for Christmas. It's the first place that Teddy drags Harry off to.

"Alright, so who's hungry?" I ask as we walk out of the quidditch shop.

"ME!" Teddy cheers and Harry smiles before saying a softer "me" as well.

Sirius and I lead the way down the street to a small diner we can stop at for some lunch. We sit down at a booth, ordering some milk for the boys and water for ourselves before taking trips to the bathroom with the boys.

"What do you boys want to eat?" I ask opening up a menu.

"Can I have grilled cheese?" Teddy asks and I nod my head.

"Do you want green beans or fruit with it?" I ask him, and he asks for green beans. That really doesn't surprise me though, because green beans are his favorite.

"What would you like Harry?" when he shrugs his shoulders, Sirius walks through the options listed on the children's menu for him.

"I can pick any of those?" he asks looking at both of us for an answer. When we both reassure him that he can pick whatever he wants, he grins widely before deciding on mac and cheese.

"Alright, and do you want applesauce, fresh fruit or green beans with it?"

"Fruit please," he says before sitting back and placing the paper menu he'd been looking at on the table.

Once the food has been ordered, Sirius and I get Teddy and Harry involved in the games on the kids menus to keep them occupied while waiting.

"What do we have left to do? I doubt the boys are going to be willing to do much more shopping after this," Sirius says to me.

"Well, I would like to stop at Florish and Blotts to talk to management about when I am supposed to start. Otherwise I thought a trip to Honeydukes and the toy store would be a nice treat for the boys for being so good today. Then we can head over to my parents' house."

We eat our food pretty quickly though Harry, unlike Teddy who practically inhales his food, seems a little hesitant to eat. Sirius and I try not to draw much attention to it afraid that he is just a little self-conscious about eating. As soon as Teddy is finished, Harry pushes his plate away even though more than half of his food is still uneaten.

"Are you sure you don't want anymore?" I can't help but prod him, and he shakes his head. "Alright, well how about you finish off your fruit then," I try to compromise and he hesitantly starts to eat again.

* * *

Once Harry finished, and we settle our bill we make a stop at Honeydukes where Teddy and Harry each get to pick out some candy for after dinner. We then stop at Florish and Blotts, where Sirius and the boys pick out some new books while I talk to the management.

Hogwarts is set to start school in a little over a week, and in the past the Hogsmeade primary started the same time as them. I arrange for my start date to be the same time so that Sirius and I can get things sorted together before we both start working. The store has deliveries coming in every other Saturday, so I have to work those but I got Wednesdays off in order to compensate for this. Otherwise, I have half days on Monday and then work full 9-5 on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. It is definitely doable and hopefully with Sirius' schedule we won't have much conflict with the boys at school.

Our last stop is the toy store, where we pick up a few magical toys for Harry. We get him a magical train engine, which runs on its own to use on his muggle train set, a few toy cars, and some wizarding action figures. The action figures are Teddy's favorites, and Sirius and I have to repeatedly remind Teddy that Harry can pick out what he wants, not what Teddy thinks he wants. But, in the end we let Teddy pick out a few new figures as well. By the time we leave the toy store, both boys are dragging their feet and ready to be done for the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave me a comment on what you thought, or if you have anything you want to see in a future chapter!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time for Harry to meet Grandma and Grandpa!

"Alright, Remus why don't you head over to your parent's house with Harry and Teddy while I take all of our packages home. I might stop for a minute at Hogwarts, just to check in with Minerva if that's alright?" Sirius says as we start to approach the Leaky Cauldron.

"Sure thing. We will see you in a bit," I say to him, leaning in to give him a small kiss.

"Goodbye my little munchkins," Sirius says bending down to give both boys a hug goodbye. He then takes the shrunk bags from me before apparating back to our house.

"Well let's head over to grandma and grandpa's house," I say ushering the boys to the floo network.

* * *

When we arrive, my dad is sitting on his usual chair in the living room and by the sounds of things, my mom is off in the kitchen.

"Remus! You're here earlier than we expected. When Sirius floo called this morning it sounded like you would be shopping all day," my dad says, standing up to come greet us.

"It didn't take nearly as long as we thought it would. Teddy and Harry were both very well behaved so we made it through the stores in no time," I tell him before taking off my shoes and making sure that Harry gets his laces undone and doesn't just slip the shoes off of his feet. He is still wearing his old shoes, and we should have switched them out before Sirius took them home.

"Your mother is in the kitchen working on a cake for tonight. If I were you two, Teddy and Harry, I'd head in there and see if you can sneak a taste," my dad says with a wink and I look down to see Teddy grinning ear to ear before running in there himself, stopping to give my dad a hug first. Harry stays close by me though sneaking closer to grab onto my leg.

"Harry, this is my dad, your grandpa. Dad, this is Harry," I say while bending down so I am on Harry's level. Harry gives a slight wave before ducking his head and staring down at his feet. Knowing that Teddy is fine with my mom in the kitchen, I take a seat on the couch. Harry quickly follows me, climbing up to sit next to me.

"When will... um… he get back?" Harry asks tugging gently on my shirt sleeve to get my attention.

"Who? Sirius?" I ask him and he nods his head. "He'll be back soon. You can call us whatever makes you comfortable Harry. If you want to call us Daddy and Papa, great, if not you can call us Sirius and Remus. We understand that this is a lot for you," I say, shifting so I can run a hand through his hair.

"So Harry, what's your favorite thing you guys bought today?" my dad asks, trying to start up a conversation with Harry.

"I got a lot of new things today," Harry mumbles, peaking up at my dad through his fringe. My dad smiles widely at him before continuing.

"Did you get any cool toys today, or just clothes?"

"No I got a lot of new toys. My aunt and uncle never bought me toys before, I always had to play with my cousin's broken ones," he admits.

"What one do you want to play with first?"

"My trains. When we were in Diagon Alley we even got one that goes on its own! Sirius said that I could use it on my new train set as well and it can pull all the other carts too."

"Wow! You know I think we have an old train set upstairs. It's probably not nearly as cool as the one you got today, but if I go and get it would you like to play with it?" my dad asks him, and Harry quickly nods his head.

Not long after my dad reappears in the room with the trainset, Teddy returns and asks if they can get out the old trucks and cars my parents have from when I was growing up. So my dad heads back upstairs to dig those out as well.

"Where's Sirius?" my mom asks finally coming into the room having left her baking.

"He'll be here in a little bit he was going to go check in at Hogwarts. I hope you didn't give Teddy all sweets in there," I joke to her.

"Of course not, though he was hungry so I gave him some cheese and crackers to eat for a snack. I came out here to see if Harry would want anything."

"Harry," I call out to him to get his attention from where he is building a track along with Teddy on the living room floor. When he looks up I wave him over to me. "Hey Harry this is my mom, your grandma. She was wondering if you were hungry and wanted a snack," I explain to him and he quickly shakes his head.

"Are you sure? I've got plenty of options for a snack, why don't you come with me to the kitchen and we can pick something out?" she asks him holding out her hand. He looks at her hesitantly before looking at me and I try to give him an encouraging smile.

"Okay," he says softly before taking her hand.

With both boys busy, my dad and I start to catch each other up on what's been going on, but quickly we get into the topic of books. Teddy is content on the floor with his trucks and it isn't long before my mom and Harry reappear in the doorway.

"Why don't you sit here next to your papa and eat your snack?" I hear my mom say to Harry before helping him to get settled down next to me. "He was a little uncomfortable in the kitchen, I thought he'd feel better if he was near you," she says and I nod my head before rubbing Harry on the back and turning back to my conversation with my dad.

* * *

As soon as Sirius arrives, he gets sucked into playing with Teddy. Sirius makes sure to pull Harry into their game as well, and it isn't long before they've gotten the building blocks out and are building a town to go along with the train tracks Harry was playing with. Sirius starts to build a fire department to incorporate the trucks into the town as well.

"Do you want to come play too Remus?" Harry asks me patting me on the knee to get my attention. Now that he knows we don't mind him calling us by our names, he seems to be much more open in initiating conversation.

"I'd like that very much. But, you are going to have to explain everything to me, alright?" I ask him, grabbing his hand so he can lead the way over to the train again.

I sit down next to him and am given a full description of the town and of what each pile of blocks is supposed to be. I soon start to build a train station, while Harry starts to rebuild the track so that it can form a complete circle through the town. As I am in the middle of building the train station, he comes back over to me, and lays down on his stomach. He starts to slowly push one of the trains back and forth on the bit of track that is in front of him.

"You alright?" I ask him, and he nods his head. "Do you want to take a nap?"

"I'm too big for naps," he replies, though his body language is suggesting otherwise.

"Well, what if I go lay you down upstairs in one of the nice comfy beds? You don't have to sleep, but I am pretty sure the guest room has a TV in it. You could lay down and watch a show. You've had a busy day, it's okay to be tired," I say to him standing up and then picking him up.

"But Teddy's not tired, he's not taking a nap."

"You aren't Teddy. You don't have to do whatever he does, if you're tired it is perfectly fine to have a lie down," I tell him, carrying him over to the couch where my mother is sitting watching us all. My dad had gotten sucked into helping build the town as well.

"Everything alright?" my mom asks as we approach her.

"Yeah. Does the guest room still have a TV in it? I'm just going to go put a show on for Harry and let him have a bit of a rest."

"No, but we've got one hooked up in the master bedroom now. Come on, I'll help you get him situated," she says standing up and leading the way upstairs and to their room.

She stops at the closet to grab a quilt before walking into the room where I have laid Harry down on the middle of the bed. My mom quickly tucks him in while I turn on the TV, putting on the children's station.

"Do you want me to stay with you?" I ask Harry and he shakes his head, snuggling into the blankets.

"Do you mind if I stay? I really want to know what happens on this show," my mom says settling onto the bed next to Harry when he shakes his head again.

"Alright, I will come get you in a little bit or you can come downstairs when you are ready," I tell him bending down to give him a kiss on the forehead.

"Snuffles?" he asks me already more focused on the TV then he is on me. I smile before heading downstairs, I know Sirius grabbed it while he was home.

I return to the bedroom before handing the dog to my mom who is closer to me who tucks the dog under the blankets and in close to Harry.

"Thanks Grammy," he says, already falling asleep. I can't help but smile at that, and my mom looks over at me with tears in her eyes. You can't help but be won over by this sweet boy, and I can tell my mom already loves him.

* * *

I rejoin the building of the big city in the living room, and about a half an hour later my mom comes back downstairs before recruiting my help in the kitchen. I've helped my mom cook dinner for as long as I can remember, she's the reason I am able to cook a descent meal.

"Remus?" I hear Harry ask me as I am chopping up vegetables for the salad.

"Hey pup," I say turning to see him standing in the doorway to the kitchen. "How did you sleep?"

"Okay," he says walking over to me. "What are you doing?"

"I'm helping grandma finish dinner. Do you want to join? If not you can go see what they've done to the town out in the living room," I say with a chuckle. I can only imagine how large of a production those three have made it.

"I wanna help," he says. So we quickly get his hands washed before my mom recruits him into helping make the icing for the cake.

"He reminds me so much of you Remus," she says to me as she helps Harry hold the mixer steady.

* * *

Not long after dinner, the boys are both sprawled out on the ground pushing the train along the track through the towers of blocks. My dad is lying on the floor with them, though he is currently lying on top of the tracks as a part of the game.

"Oh no Harry, watch out! There's a sleeping dragon on the tracks, you've gotten be quiet so you don't wake him!" I hear Teddy whisper to him as Sirius and I walk back into the living room from helping my mom clean up the kitchen.

"What should I do?" Harry asks him, stopping the train.

"Try going over him," Teddy suggests, looking at my dad and seeing his eyes closed.

Harry slowly inches forwards before grabbing the train and beginning to drag it up over my dad's round stomach. When he gets about half way my dad sits up and grabs him.

"I've got ya!" he says before laying Harry on the ground and tickling him.

"Oh no! Get off him you mean old dragon! You can't have my brother!" Teddy yells before jumping onto my dad's back and looping his arms around his back.

"Alright kiddos! Let Grandpa up, it's time to start taking apart your town so we can head home," I say stepping in and ruining the fun.

"Thanks Teddy," I hear Harry say as my dad gets up and moves himself to start putting the toys away.

"That's what brothers do Harry, they stick together. We are brothers now, so I'll always help you, okay?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave me a comment on what you thought, or if you have anything you want to see in a future chapter!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. Time really got away from me there, with exams and then traveling for a couple of weeks with no internet... Sorry to everyone who has been waiting for an update, I know how annoying that can get.  
> I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter... I don't love it, but I've changed it a lot and have run out of alternatives, so I think I need to just leave it as is :/  
> Hopefully it isn't too long till I update again!

We stayed at my parents' house later than I would have wanted, and it is now almost past bedtime for the boys, at least we don't have anything too pressing tomorrow so it isn't too much trouble. Once we floo home, Sirius gets the boys ready for bed, while I spend the time getting all of our purchases from the day put away. When Sirius brought all of the stuff back, he got all of the toys and things opened, but I need to go through Harry's clothes now that I know what size he is to make sure that only clothes that will fit him are in his drawers.

"They decided they wanted to take a bath together," Sirius says walking into the room with Harry. "Can you make sure Harry gets into pajamas? I'm going to go make sure Teddy dries and brushes his hair," Sirius says, waiting for me to agree before leaving.

Once Harry is in his pajamas I quickly towel dry his hair before leading him back to the bathroom. I brush his hair while he brushes his teeth and as soon as he is done we grab Snuffles before heading to Teddy's room. I quickly go grab a blanket from Harry's room, wrapping Harry up so he can lay next to Teddy but easily be put into his own bed. We do story time like usual, and at the end of it when both boys are asleep, I carry Harry into his own room and bed.

* * *

"Rem, do you want a cup of tea before we head up to bed?" Sirius asks me as I carry Harry to his room. I nod my head, so he heads down the stairs to put a kettle on.

We settle off in the back screened in porch, opening up the windows to let the cool summer night air into the room. We sit squished together on the love seat, but I wouldn't move even if there were more chairs out here.

"I love our new house Remus. This is a place I can imagine growing old with you in and watching our children grow up in," Sirius says settling in next to me.

"Me too. I plan on sitting in this very seat for many years to come, so it better be able to last with us."

"Hm…" he replies in contentment.

"What time is Harry's appointment tomorrow?" I ask him after we've been sitting in silence for a while.

"One o'clock. I have some meetings I need to go to in the morning at Hogwarts. I thought I could meet you guys there? Or I could come home and one of us could stay with Teddy while the other takes Harry."

"Nah, we might as well take Teddy with us, we can make sure that he is all up to date on his vaccines for starting school. Which reminds me, are we still going to look at Hogsmede primary tomorrow? Cause when would we do that then?" I ask him, remembering our talk from the morning.

"I'll stop tomorrow and pick up some pamphlets and information on their primary school and Pre School. Is that alright?"

"Sounds perfect."

"Harry seemed to like your parents, which should work out perfectly. If they can watch the boys a couple of days a week maybe you and I can coordinate our schedules to work around that? Then we don't have to deal with after school care," Sirius says.

"Well, when we stopped at Florish and Blotts I asked about what my schedule will be, I asked for one weekday off knowing that we would need it to make our schedules work with the school. So, I have a half day Monday, work 9-5 on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and have Wednesdays off."

"Well that's good right? I'll see if I can get office hours on one of those afternoons and then we can ask your parents about the other two days a week," Sirius says smiling softly at how well it will work out.

"Yeah, but in order to get a half day and Wednesday off, I have to work every other Saturday," I point out, sighing softly. It will be terrible knowing that Sirius, Teddy and Harry are all home together while I am stuck at work.

"It'll all balance out though. I'll make sure to talk to Minerva about having our faculty meetings on Wednesdays since you will be home with the boys all day. It won't be as bad as you think."

"I love you Sirius."

"And I love you. Now let's head up to bed; that was enough serious discussion for one evening."

* * *

The next morning I wake up and make the promised cinnamon rolls that I know Sirius is dying for. He gets up not long after I do, and leaves before either Teddy or Harry wake up. Hopefully since he left so early, he will be able to make it home earlier.

I sit down at the table with the paper and a cup of coffee while I wait for the boys to wake up. Before long the timer goes off for the cinnamon rolls, so I ice them before taking one with me to my seat at the table. Sirius should have waited, he's really missing out.

Teddy is the first one to wake up, and he quickly digs into his own breakfast. I decide to head upstairs and start to wake Harry up. As much as I want to let him sleep as much as he likes, I also want him to go to bed at a somewhat reasonable hour tonight.

"Hey kiddo," I say softly, sitting down on the edge of his bed and rubbing his back. "It's morning time sleepy head. The sun's up, I'm up, your brother's up, the only thing we are left waiting on is you!" I tease him.

"Don't wanna," he mumbles back, burying his face in the pillows.

"Alright then, just come down when you're ready, I made cinnamon rolls and one is sitting downstairs just waiting for you," I tell him before getting up and going back downstairs, making sure to leave his door open. Hopefully hearing Teddy and I downstairs will motivate him to get up.

"Where's Harry?" Teddy asks me as soon as I come down the stairs without him.

"He's still sleeping. Don't worry about it, he will get up in a little bit. For now, why don't you get out some toys? Once Harry is awake we can go outside and the two of you can explore the backyard. I think there is a playground down the street, we will have to investigate that sometime later this week," I tell him, starting to clean up the kitchen.

Teddy heads upstairs to pull out some of his toys and I really shouldn't be surprised that when he comes back down, he is dragging Harry along with him.

"Teddy, did you wake Harry up?" I ask him walking over to where the two boys are standing at the base of the stairs.

"No."

"Did he wake you up Harry?" I ask him and he shakes his head quickly while staring down at the floor.

"Are you sure you didn't wake him up Teddy? What's our rule against lying?"

"Not to do it cause it's bad. But he was sleeping Papa! It's morning now, he needed to get up so we could go play!" Teddy tells me, saying it as if I should have known the answer.

"Teddy, in the future no waking up your brother just because you want him to be awake. And if you lie to me again today, you will find yourself in a time out. Now go get some toys to play with on your own, Harry hasn't even had breakfast yet."

I usher Harry to a seat at the table where he sits down and props his head up with his arm on the table. The poor kid still looks half asleep.

"Here you go Harry," I say placing a heated up cinnamon roll in front of him before turning back to the dishes I had been working on. When I finish and turn back around it's to find that Harry has only taken about a bite out of the roll. "Alright kiddo, let's go get you dressed. We can keep the roll in case you get hungry later, how does that sound?"

He nods his head, so I gather Teddy and the three of us head upstairs to get ready for the day.

* * *

Once both boys are dressed and have brushed their teeth and hair, I lead them out to the backyard and let them loose. We have a bin with a couple of outdoor toys in it, but Grimmauld Place didn't have much in the way of a yard so those types of toys really weren't necessary. But Teddy finds a ball for the two boys to kick around so at least they have something.

"Papa, you know what we need?" Teddy asks me running over, slightly out of breath.

"A pool?" I ask him, though I'm mostly joking. It would be a nice addition to our backyard though.

"No. A dog! You and Daddy said we could get one when I'm older, and I am older now! And Harry can help me take care of him, and he would have this whole backyard to run around in."

"Well, as much as I know you want a dog, I don't think we will be getting one anytime soon kiddo. Sorry but with you two going to school, and Sirius and I started new jobs we just don't have time for a dog right now. It wouldn't be fair to the dog. He'd be alone a lot."

He pouts a bit, and I know that this isn't the last I have heard about this idea of his.

* * *

The boys run off a lot of their energy, and I leave them outside to go make lunch. I give them both strict instructions not to leave the backyard, and even though I can see them from the kitchen window, I still worry about them constantly, and check on them more times than necessary. I make some sandwiches and cut up a couple of peaches for them to eat.

I make sure both boys wash their hands before sitting down to eat my own meal. As I eat I can't help but notice that Harry again seems hesitant to eat his meal. He constantly keeps looking over at Teddy, and as soon as Teddy says that he is finished, Harry gets up as well. He even at one point offers Teddy his peaches because Teddy had finished off his own. I obviously stop him and get Teddy his own, but I am starting to wonder if this has anything to do with his relatives.

When Teddy finishes and walks away, I keep Harry at the table and he manages to eat half of his sandwich and his fruit before saying he is done. At least I know he ate something, but I will have to see ask the healer what he thinks about this, and if there is anything we can do to get him to eat a little more.

* * *

By the time we need to leave to get to the St. Mungo's for Harry's appointment, Sirius still hasn't returned from Hogwarts. So I get both boys ready before sending a note over to Sirius telling him to meet us there. We floo into the waiting room, where I am given a stack of papers to fill out about Harry's past health. Unfortunately I really don't know much information about this, but I fill out what I can knowing that the rest of it will be determined in the appointment.

A nurse comes and calls us to a back room, and I follow the boys back. Harry seems to be getting more nervous the longer we wait, fidgeting in his chair. I pick him up and situate him on my lap to try and calm him down. Teddy has been through this before, and knows that this is appointment isn't for him so is more than content to just sit and color.

"Why hello there boys! And who is this newest addition," our family healer, Healer Jim says walking into the room. He's an older man, with a round face and an always happy voice. Harry jumps a bit when he walks in, and I quickly try and reassure him.

"This is my little brother Harry!" Teddy says proudly, giving Healer Jim a huge smile.

"Well, it is very nice to meet you Harry! My name is Healer Jim, and I am just going to run a few tests to make sure you are healthy," he says with a smile, bending down so that he is on Harry's level. "Have you ever been to a healer before?"

Harry shakes his head no.

"Well, there is nothing to be afraid of! I will use my wand to do a few spells, ask your dad some questions, and it will be all done before you know it."

"Just got to make sure you are in good shape so you can start preschool," I say to Harry rubbing his back a bit.

"Of course! And I know that I have two chocolate frogs in here if the boys are very good," he says with a smile, causing Teddy to cheer, which makes Harry smile as well.

"So Remus, what information do you have? You and Sirius recently adopted him, right?"

"It's not official yet, but we've filled out the paper work. Just need to wait and see about interviews and then if it's accepted," I say.

"Alright, do you have any past medical file for Harry? Teddy was just in fairly recently so he shouldn't take long to check out."

"No, we don't have any information for Harry. They don't think he has ever been to a muggle or magical doctor before," I tell Healer Jim.

"So, which one of you boys should go first?" He asks turning towards the two of them. "Maybe Harry, since his exam will probably take longer…" he says it more to himself than to the boys, but I can see the instant fear in Harry's eyes.

"I've never been to a doctor before… is it gonna hurt?" he whispers to Teddy, though both Healer Jim and I hear it. Before he can get an answer, Sirius knocks on the door before entering.

"What have I missed?" he asks walking into the room and closing the door.

"Don't worry Harry, I've had to come to Healer Jim lots of times. It doesn't usually hurt, but sometimes you have to get shots, and they hurt a little bit, but not nearly as much as you think they would. I'll go first," he says reaching over to grab Harry's hand.

Sirius turns to me with a big smile on his face, and I know that in that moment we are both very proud of our older pup. He is already acting like a great big brother.

"Well, I just saw you Teddy a couple of weeks ago, and you got all of your back to school shots then. So I will run a diagnostic charm and we shall see what it says," he says, before ushering us over to the bed. I take a seat with Harry still in my lap, and Sirius puts Teddy down next to me.

I watch as Healer Jim waves his wand, and then watch him repeat it, knowing that he did Harry's as well while he wasn't expecting it. "Well Teddy, you seem to be in tip top shape! Keep giving him his daily vitamins, but other than that everything seems fine," he says turning towards the two of us.

"See Harry? It wasn't so bad," Teddy says still holding Harry's hand.

"Let's see what Harry's scan says," Sirius and I watch him read through the sheet his face becoming more and more serious as he goes through it.

"You were definitely telling the truth when you said that you hadn't been to a doctor before! Unfortunately that means that you are very far behind on your immunizations in both the muggle diseases and the magical ones. We will do the magical ones first since it is just drinking some potions for me," he says before leaving the room and coming back with a nurse who has a hand full of vials and a couple of shots as well. "Also, for the next few weeks or so, he is going to have to take a nutrient potion twice a day, once with breakfast and once with dinner," Healer Jim says turning towards Sirius and me. I nod my head.

"Can I have my chocolate frog now Daddy?" Teddy asks tugging on Sirius' shirt sleeve.

"Of course," Sirius replies with a smile, walking over to the jar that Healer Jim keeps them in and grabbing one for each of the boys. He rips the packaging but is careful not to open it all the way, so Teddy can see the frog jump. Sirius hands him the package, and he settles into his spot on the bed content for the moment.

I sit back with Harry in my lap, and coax him into drinking each of the different potions. Luckily he doesn't put up too much of a fuss, but I can tell that he can't wait until we are don't.

"Alright now pup, this might pinch a bit but it won't be terrible at all! And once we are done you can have a chocolate frog!" I hear Sirius say softly to Harry, trying to keep him from panicking, once we have finished the potions and healer Jim starts prepping for the shots.

"Just close your eyes Harry and it will be over before you know it," Healer Jim says coming closer with the tray. Harry squeezes his eyes shut and turns his face away so that it is half hidden in my shirt. I see that there are four different syringes, and I know we won't make it through this without a breakdown of some sort. If there is anything children hate most, it has to be shots.

As soon as Harry feels the pinch from the first needle, he whimpers and tries to pull away, causing me to hold him just a little bit tighter. After the second one, I can tell he is crying and putting up a bit of a fuss and pray that Healer Jim speeds things along so that the last two are over with quickly. As soon as the last one has been administered and a band aid has been placed on top, I loosen my arms and Harry turns so I pull him in closer for a cuddle, waiting for the boy to calm himself down.

When he finally settles down enough Sirius hands me the chocolate frog to give to Harry.

"Here Harry," I say opening it up for him and catching it when it jumps away, before breaking off a piece of it and handing it to the boy.

"I still get one?" he asks.

"Of course! You were a very good boy, and you let Healer Jim do what he needed to, to make sure that you don't get sick in the future. You definitely deserve some chocolate for that!" Sirius says to him.

"But I cried…" he asks confused.

"Harry, there is nothing wrong with crying when you are hurt or scared. The important thing is that you were very brave and you let Healer Jim finish what he needed to," I say carding a hand through his hair. "And Mr. Big-Brother over here, definitely earned his frog as well! You volunteered to go first cause you knew your brother was scared, and that was very very brave," I say giving Teddy a side hug, and kissing him on the forehead.

We don't stay much longer at St. Mungo's. Healer Jim sends us off to the apothecary to pick up the nutrient potions needed for Harry. So, I head to the apothecary with the boys, while Sirius stays back to talk to Healer Jim for a minute. We stop and make a follow up appointment for two weeks from today. Harry got almost all of his vaccinations, and all of the ones mandatory for starting school. But Healer Jim wants to see how the nutrient potions are going.


	8. Chapter 8

We floo into Sirius' office, where Sirius finds a note sitting on his desk from Minerva. We head up to her office the two boys running ahead of Sirius and I, chasing each other.

"What did you talk to Healer Jim about?" I ask him as we head up the stairs towards the boys who are waiting at the top for directions on where to head next.

"I just wanted to talk to him a bit about some things I have noticed about Harry. I thought it might be better if Harry wasn't around when we were discussing it either."

"Did you ask him about eating? That was something I wanted to discuss more with him, though I am glad that Harry is starting a nutrient potion. I won't worry as much about making sure he eats enough at every meal, the last thing I want is to force him to eat."

"I did talk to him about that. Jim said that as long as we offer him food throughout the day so he has the option to eat, not to force him. Harry doesn't seem like a kid to ever ask for food, but making him eat would not be helpful. I told Healer Jim that breakfast seems to be worst and he suggested giving him some juice and letting him sit for a bit before offering him any food- Boys! Don't get too far ahead of us, and watch where you are going!" Sirius cuts himself off as Teddy turns to run backwards so he can see Harry, and nearly collides with a wall.

"Alright, I mean that sounds fine. I know Harry will be okay but I can't help but worry about him… it doesn't help that this whole set up is still so new for us all. I feel like Harry isn't completely comfortable with us yet, which is completely understandable. It just makes it hard, knowing that if he needs something he might not come to us and ask for it," I say.

"Yeah, I know what you mean but we can't do anything except for stay consistent and try and reassure him as much as possible. I also talked to Jim about Harry's nightmare. Teddy has never had a nightmare that were that terrifying for him, the most that has happened for Teddy is that he comes to us and asks to stay in our room.

"I am concerned that if he keeps having nightmares he won't come to us for comfort or help. Plus I wasn't sure what we could do to make it better, I know not to force him to talk about it but if they keep happening I feel like bringing him to our bed every night wouldn't be a good idea either," Sirius explains.

"I wish you would have talked about this with me. I picked up a couple of books while at Florish and Blotts about this. But we can't make Harry come to us for help. All we can do is be patient and deal with things one issue at a time," I say pulling him in for a quick hug to try and reassure him before turning to try and catch up with our boys.

The boys have reached the end of the hallway and are racing each other across it while waiting for us to catch up. As we near, Teddy trips over his untied shoelaces falling and scraping his knees and palms on the stone floor.

"You're alright," Sirius calls out to him before rushing over to him when he starts to cry.

"It hurts!"

"I know it does, but this is why you have to be careful and make sure your shoes are tied. Now let's take you to the bathroom and clean you up. You will be right as rain in no time," Sirius says before picking him up and carrying him into the bathroom.

Harry and I wait in the hallway for them. Harry looks pretty miserable, and I can't tell if it is because Teddy is no longer there to play with him, or if he just is worried.

"Come here kiddo," I say to him opening up my arms, when I notice he is close to tears. "What's the matter? Why the tears?" I ask him pulling him into a hug and rubbing his back. Harry just shakes his head. "Did you fall and get hurt to?" I ask him before pulling back a bit so I can look him over. I get another head shake.

"I-I'm sorry!"

"Whatever are you sorry for? You haven't done anything wrong."

"Teddy fell and got hurt!" he says to me as if it explains everything. Does he blame himself for Teddy falling?

"But what does that have to do with you? You didn't push him or trip him, his shoes were untied so he tripped and fell. There isn't anything you could have done to prevent that," I explain to him, still not really understanding why he is so upset.

"Bu-But it's my fault!" he says, close to full out sobbing now.

"Why do you say that?" I question him, kneeling so that I can see his face while I talk to him.

"Uncle Vernon always says it's was my fault when Dudley gets hurt."

And then it clicks. This doesn't really have to do with Teddy getting hurt. I wonder how often Harry got blamed for things by his relatives. Did they punish him for them as well? Is Harry afraid that I am going to blame and punish him like his uncle did? These questions are whirling through my mind but I know that I can't ponder them now. For now I need to figure out how to deal with Harry.

I stand up before picking him up and turning to head into the bathroom as well. I don't know if Sirius will be able to help much, but we can at least wash Harry's face before we leave Hogwarts.

"Remus? What are you doing her? Is Teddy alright?" I hear Minerva say, so turn around to face her. "That's not Teddy. What's going on?"

"Sorry Minerva. This is Harry, he and Teddy had a bit of an incident in the hallway when we were heading to your office. Sirius is with Teddy in the bathroom right now, but he should be done soon," I try to explain to her.

Sirius then comes out of the bathroom with Teddy in hand. He hands me a handkerchief for Harry.

"Maybe the boys would like to visit with Hagrid while I meet with Minerva to discuss school stuff? Is Hagrid around Minerva?" Sirius asks.

"I believe so. He had plans to take care of the sprouting pumpkin plants today."

"Alright, come on boys. After a quick bathroom stop we can head out to see Hagrid," I say, knowing that Teddy absolutely loves to see Hagrid not only because he likes the half-giant but also because it means that he can play with his dog Fang. Teddy has been asking us to get him a dog for almost a year now, and with the new yard I know it is only a matter of time before Sirius and I cave.

I wipe off Harry's face in the bathroom, and since he has clearly moved on from the little admittance he had about his relatives, I decide to leave it be for now, that's something best to be dealt with later.

Teddy races off down the stairs leading to Hagrid's hut, but Harry sticks close by me as we meander our way. As soon as Hagrid see's Teddy he opens up his front door to let his great big dog out. Fang runs right to Teddy and nearly plows him over in his eagerness. At the emergence of the dog and half giant, Harry stops in his tracks, and I walk right into him grabbing a hold of him to prevent him from toppling over.

"I don't want to go there," he says looking up at me with huge eyes.

"Come on now Harry, it won't be so bad. I'll be there the whole time and Hagrid is really nice, I am sure you're going to like him a lot! And if not, you can always stay outside with Teddy and Fang," I try to reassure him, and he reaches his hand out to latch onto my pant leg. I reach down and grab the small hand before leading us in the direction of Hagrid's hut.

"Remus! How're ye? It's been awhile since ye visited," Hagrid asks as we walk past where Teddy and Fang are rolling around in the grass.

"I'm well thank you. Harry, this is Hagrid he is the groundskeeper here at Hogwarts. Hagrid, this is Harry, Sirius and I just adopted him," I introduce them.

Hagrid motions for us to follow him into the hut, and I take a seat at his table before encouraging Hagrid that he doesn't need to stay inside with us and can go back out and tend to his pumpkins.

With Hagrid back outside, I usher Harry out as well and the boys spend the hour playing with Fang in the front garden. Once Sirius reappears, both boys require a heavy cleaning charm on their clothes. We bid Hagrid good day before heading down to the schools in Hogsmede.

* * *

We are greeted at the preschool by Miss Charlotte who was Teddy's teacher last year. Teddy greets her with his usual exuberance, while Harry remains quiet and attached to Sirius side, where he remains for the rest of our trip.

Sirius and I split up the paper work, with each of us filling out the medical, emergency contact and registration forms for one of the boys. Sirius has to balance his clipboard with Harry stuck firmly in his lap. He nearly drops it on multiple occasions but somehow manages. Teddy sat on the floor and played with some of the toys that they kept in the schoolhouse. He tries to get Harry to join him on multiple occasions, but the younger boy refuses.

Once all of the paperwork is turned in, it is nearing lunch time so Sirius and I decide that it would be for the best if we stop for something to eat. We decide to go to Three Broomsticks for old times sake. Plus, a butterbeer was sounding very good at the moment.

As we are walking from the school and towards Three Broomsticks, we are stopped.

"Sirius? Remus?" I hear from behind, so turn to see a shock of ginger hair hugging Sirius. As he pulls back, I see that it is Bill Weasley.

"Bill! How are you doing? We haven't seen you in ages!" I exclaim while receiving my own hug.

"Good! And I know. Fleur and I just finished moving back. I accepted a job up at Hogwarts as the new defense professor. I hear Sirius that you are going to be one of my new coworkers, I have to admit I am looking forward to that."

"Congratulations! It's nice to talk to some of the new staff. Where did you move to? I bet Molly is ecstatic to have you back," Sirius replies.

"Fleur and I actually decided to build a house near the Burrow. It's been hard for Mum ever since Fred. It's been hard for all of us really, but we were hoping that moving back might be a bit of a distraction for her. She has been helping Fleur decorate and has offered to watch Victorie for us when she's not in school, and Dominique as needed. I think Mum is thinking of doing a sort of daycare for all of her grandchildren."

"Is Victorie going to Hogsmede Primary then? If I remember correctly she was right around Teddy's age," I ask indicating Teddy who is standing holding my left hand while Harry is on the right.

"Yes. She will be attending their preschool class this year."

"Ah, she'll be with Harry then," I say smiling down at the boy.

"Harry?" he questions before seeing where I am looking and squatting down so he is at Harry's level. "Well, you must be Harry. It is very nice to meet you. My name is Bill, your dads have been friends with my family for years. But you've probably met a Weasley or two by now," he says sticking out his hand. Harry disregards the hand, turning to bury his face in my pant leg.

"Harry has only been with us for a couple of days, so he hasn't met too many people yet," Sirius explains to Bill as he stands back up.

"That's understandable. I am surprised Mum hasn't mentioned that you had adopted again," he says before noticing our sheepish smiles. "Oh, wait till I tell her. She'll send a howler for sure," he teases with a chuckle.

"And you and Fleur? You had a second daughter correct? Any thoughts for adding to your own brood?"

"Actually, we are expecting our third child around Christmas."

"Congratulations! I'm glad to hear so much good news coming from your family."

"Thank you, but I better get going. I have to go pick up the registration information to sign Victorie up for school. We should get the kids together before school starts. I don't know about Harry, but I know Victorie would feel better about starting school if she knew there would be a familiar face there," Bill says.

"Oh, Harry would definitely appreciate that as well. I'll send an owl, or corner you at Hogwarts," Sirius says before Bill gives one last parting wave.

* * *

After a quick lunch at Three Broomsticks, the boys decide that they want to spend the afternoon at the play park. The nice thing about our new house is that there is a play park within walking distance of our house. So after packing up a bag with some refreshments and snacks, we head down the street.

As soon as the play park is within sight, the boys are nearly bouncing in excitement. We let them run on ahead, following behind at a much more sedated pace. Sirius and I find a bench to crash on, and I pull out my book and Sirius pulls out some lesson plans that he is working on for Hogwarts. Teddy and Harry are both at an age now where they don't need to be constantly monitored. As long as we look up every couple of minutes, they should be fine to entertain themselves on the play equipment. There aren't too many people here today, only one or two other families to make up about a handful of kids.

Quite a bit of time goes by before I start to hear what sounds like a squabble. Well, really it just starts off as raised voices, so I look up to try and spot the culprit and make sure neither of my kids are involved.

"Yeah! Well you're just a poopy butt and nobody likes you any ways!" I hear, and that is definitely Teddy. Oh no, what could possibly have caused this.

I get up and follow the sound of the voices to underneath the big twisty slide. I round the corner just in time to see Teddy give another boy a hard shove that sends the other kid tumbling backwards. He knocks his head on the slide and after a pause starts crying.

"Edward Remus Lupin! What are you doing! You know better than to push other people," I scold him while pulling both boys out from under the slide. It doesn't take long to spot the other child's mother, and once she sees that her son is crying she is quick to rush over. "Teddy, do you have something to say?"

"I'm not sorry I pushed you because you deserved it for being a big fat meanie!" he says before stomping his foot and charging off towards Sirius.

"I apologize for my son, I don't know what has gotten into him," I say to the other mother and her son who has luckily now stopped crying. He didn't hurt his head, crying just from the abruptness of the fall.

I do a quick search for Harry and find him holed up in one of the tunnels. After quite a bit of coaxing I am finally able to get him to come out to me. I scoop him up before heading over to Sirius and Teddy knowing that our time at the play park is definitely over now. It's best if we wait till we get home to sort out Teddy and this situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOO! man this chapter was a struggle to get out. I don't know why but it really stumped me. Sorry for the long delay in updates, but life and writers block jumped in front of me at the same time and it was a mighty large hurtle to get over.
> 
> Hope you like it! Comments and feedback are appreciated!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Has it really been almost a year?  
> I have no excuse besides real life... I'm sorry either way.  
> I'll try not to take as long to post the next update...  
> It's already mostly written. So that's a good sign.  
> Ugh.  
> I probably should have proofread it again, so if there's an issue please let me know.  
> Also I got a new computer, and I don't really know how to use it so hopefully this doesn't format weird cause I lost my word program.

As soon as we were far enough away from the play park I wasted no time in scooping Harry up into my arms and apparating home, knowing that Sirius was not far behind with Teddy. Once we were in the house I carried Harry over to the couch placing the boy onto it with Teddy sitting down right next to him. Sirius and I sat down next to each other on the coffee table so that we were right across from our boys.

“What happened back at the playpark?” Sirius asks the boys who are both sitting avoiding eye contact. Harry is staring down at his knees nervously while Teddy is staring off to the side showing his anger and defiance.

“I don’t care what happened. Under no circumstances are you to be starting fights with anyone Edward Remus. If someone was being mean to you, you should have come to Daddy and me straight away,” I add when neither boy replies.

“I’m sorry!” Harry finally bursts out after Sirius and I have been waiting for almost a minute for one of them to say something.

“What are you sorry for Harry?” Sirius prods gently.

“It’s all my fault. I didn’t know the rules of the playpark. I-I didn’t know that the other kid wanted to go down the slide, I swear! I was waitin’ for my turn and then that big kid came and told me that I was hogging it and pushed me down the slide but then Teddy saw and got real mad and- and I didn’t know what to do,” Harry says before jumping off of the couch and falling to his knees where he grabs my pant leg and starts again. “But I promise I’ll be good next time and I’ll just stay in the tunnel and I won’t bother anyone I swear! Just please don’t send me away!”

I swear I can feel my heart breaking in that moment and I know that Harry needs all of the reassurances that Sirius and I can give him right now but we also have to deal with Teddy. And we can’t just send Teddy to time out without hearing his side of the story. And how do you punish one child while cuddling and calming the other?  That would be devastating for Teddy. Well, we knew it wasn’t going to be all roses and happiness forever.

“Calm down now Harry, no one is being sent anywhere. We are all a part of this family and family stays together no matter what happens,” Sirius says hoisting Harry up and back onto the couch. Harry doesn’t look any calmer though, I can tell he is holding back tears as he starts playing with the hem of his shirt.

“Now Teddy why don’t you tell us what happened?” I ask him.

“No! That kid was being a big meanie and he knew it! And you never take my side Papa, you came over and didn’t ask me what happened before making me say sorry and now I’m not telling.”

“Alright. Come with me then,” I say leading him into the kitchen where I pull out a seat from the kitchen table and motion for him to sit in it. “You can come out when the timer goes off,” I add, setting it for 5 minutes and then walking back to the living room.

I’m not surprised to see that Sirius is now sitting on the couch with Harry wrapped in his arms but I am surprised to see that not only is Harry crying but Sirius is too. I sit down next to them and put my arm around Sirius’ shoulder to let him know I am there if he needs me. I know Sirius will tell me what happened later. Once Teddy’s time out is done I should make some hot cocoa for everyone and then I think Harry could use a nap.

I wait until I hear the timer go off before I walk back into the kitchen and what I find is one sad little boy. I pull out his chair and angle it so that I can sit facing him.

“Will you tell me what happened now?” I ask him softly, ducking my head to try and make eye contact.

“I’m sorry Papa I know I shouldn’t have pushed that other boy but he was being mean to Harry and made Harry cry and run off!”

“Next time someone is mean to you or Harry I want you to come straight to me or Daddy, do you understand? Being mean and pushing or hitting is never acceptable behavior. It only leads to people getting hurt.”

“Harry just wanted to go down the slide and he waited forever and kept letting other kids go and when it was finally his turn that big kid said he was taking too long and pushed him down and when I told him to say sorry he pushed Harry down. That other boy was mean first!”

“Nevertheless, I don’t ever want to see you hurting another kid. He could have gotten really hurt when he fell and his head, how would you have felt then?” I ask.

“Bad. I didn’t want to hurt him, I just didn’t like that he made Harry sad. I’m sorry I was bad Papa, I promise I won’t do it again,” he says sniffling pitifully.

“It’s alright pup. I know you were just looking out for your little brother but next time-“

“I’ll come get you or Daddy, I promise,” he says. And I grab him and pull him in for a bit of a hug and a cuddle.

Once he has calmed down some, I lead him up to his room and tuck him into bed. I tell him he doesn’t have to nap but I want him to at least lay down and rest for a bit after everything that happened. I’m not surprised to run into Sirius coming out of Harry’s room as I walk out of Teddy’s room.

“He fell asleep on me. Sorry for not helping with Teddy, did you find out what happened?” he asks leading the way downstairs and into the kitchen knowing that I am going to want a cup of tea after everything that happened.

“We can’t let him sleep too long, it’s too late in the evening for that, and to answer your question yes I did,” I say before recapping everything Teddy told me.

“Harry was convinced we wouldn’t want him anymore because now we know that he causes so much trouble,” Sirius starts after I’ve explained Teddy’s story. “I tried to reassure him that there is nothing he could do that would make us want him any less but he definitely doesn’t believe me. I’m worried about what will happen next week when you and I go to work and the boys start school. I’m afraid of how Harry will react to being away from us so much and without us there to reassure him all day that we want him here with us.”

“I’ve thought some about that as well. But there isn’t really much we can do until we know for sure how he reacts. He might love school and thrive and be happy or he might hate it and wish he was home with us every day but that’s the thing we just don’t know yet,” I say trying to be reassuring but at the same time realistic. I know that there is a strong possibility that it is too soon for Harry to be going to school and that he won’t be settled enough with us.

“What do you think about sending him to a Mind Healer? He just seems so reluctant to talk to us about anything that has happened to him and with that nightmare the other night I can’t help but worry.”

“I think we should wait and see how school goes and go from there. If we think that he needs a Healer we can ask the school for recommendations, he is surely not the first kid to come from a less than ideal household and he will definitely not be the last,” I say with a heavy sigh.

Sirius nods his head before reaching out and pulling me from my seat at the table and leading me out to the love-seat out in the back sun room. It is quickly becoming one of my favorite spots in the house.

* * *

When I wake up in the morning it is way too early and I know I should try to roll over and go back to sleep for another hour or so but I also know that that won’t be possible. Harry is in our bed, having woken up screaming in the middle of the night again. I can’t say I was surprised after how stressful yesterday was for everyone.

I spend the quiet morning reading the Daily Prophet and looking through the few letters that arrived in the post. While there isn’t a lot, there is a letter from Molly inviting us over for an end of the summer dinner at the Burrow. Apparently it is a fairly large bash this year, with not only all of the Weasley’s and their families but also some of the remaining Order members as well.  While I don’t know how Harry will respond to a crowd of that size, I know Teddy will be ecstatic to visit all of his ‘aunts, uncles and cousins’. I set it aside to discuss with Sirius but I know that we will be accepting the invitation.

We don’t have anything on our agenda today and I can’t help but feel grateful for the day spent at home. The past few days have been such a whirlwind that I am ready to just be home organizing all of our purchases and having the down time with the boys.

* * *

 

I get only about an hour and a half by myself before Harry comes down the stairs. He seems almost nervous, like without Teddy to follow he doesn’t know how to act. I grab him a cup of juice before leading him into the family room.  I figure he could use a bit of a snuggle while he wakes up.

By the time Teddy comes bounding down the stairs, Harry is almost fully awake and ready to start the day. I make a quick breakfast and send both of the now fully awake and bouncing boys back upstairs to wake up Sirius knowing he needs to be at Hogwarts this morning for a staff meeting.

After breakfast, we send Sirius off and I leave the boys to their toys going around and rearranging some of the things the house elves unpacked and finding places for the remaining stuff we purchased on our major shop day.

Sirius comes home around lunch and gets Harry settled in for a nap and Teddy relaxing with a show while I head out to the backyard to find where we want to build the shed that we are going to use for my transformations. Our property goes out into the woods and we both know that it is for the best if we build the shed out there where it is less likely to be spotted and/or stumbled upon. I clear out an area and lay the groundwork for it knowing that we need to get it started so we can finish it before the next full moon.

“Albus said he would come and put some protection and reinforcements spells on it if we wanted him to,” Sirius tells me as I walk back in the house. “I told him we would let him know when we are done building it. When are you going to tell Harry about your furry side?”

“I just want him a bit more settled first,” I say excusing myself from the conversation. In actuality I am just being selfish. I know that our old Harry didn’t care about me being a werewolf, but he was thirteen when he found out then. There’s no knowing how he will react this time around.

Sirius knows that I am afraid to tell him, but he also knows me well enough to let the matter drop for now.

“I saw the letter from Molly. Do you want me to floo her and ask what we can bring? Harry is going to have to meet them all eventually there is no point in putting off the inevitable,” he says trying to change the topic and lighten the mood, but it doesn’t work. I nod my head before walking towards the front of the house.

“I’m going for a walk,” I announce before Sirius has any chance of stopping me. I just need some air to clear my head.

* * *

By the time I return it is close to dinner time and when I open the doors it is to the delicious smell of dinner cooking and the sounds of the boys running around playing some sort of game. I head to the kitchen intent on apologizing for my abrupt departure but before I can say anything Sirius storms over to me wielding a wooden spoon.

“Don’t you ever leave like that again,” he scolds using the spoon to gesture to me. “I understand that you didn’t like the conversation but you have a family now. The boys have been asking about you since they woke up and I had no idea when you would be back. If I have to have the same conversation I had with our 4 year old son yesterday with you today, I will. Family loves no matter what, and I love you and your other side regardless of your hatred of it. It’s not fair of you to keep it a secret from Harry and you know it.”

“I’m sorry Sirius. I know I am going to have to tell him eventually I am just not ready yet,” I explain.

“Good, I'm glad you understand. Whenever you are ready just know that I will do whatever I can to help. Now set the table, foods almost ready,” he says before leaning in for a swift kiss and turning back to the stove.

I don’t know what I did to deserve a man like him.

* * *

The next few days fly by and before we know it, it is the last weekend before school starts. Sirius has been running back and forth between Hogwarts and home like mad. He has been frantically trying to get ready, and the boys and I even spent an afternoon at Hogwarts trying to help him get his office and classroom setup.

The Hogwarts Express leaves tomorrow and the opening feast is tomorrow night, but tonight is the Weasley dinner. Molly asked for me to bring along some snacks, because while we were all invited over in the afternoon, dinner is likely not to start until late.

I spend my morning making sure that everything we are bringing to the Weasley’s is together (except for Stripes and Snuffles since the boys have them in bed). I then make sure that the boys’ dress robes are clean and ready for the next day. I have to sneak into Teddy’s room for this. But since Harry ended up in our bed again last night I don’t have to worry about being quiet in his room.

I peek into mine and Sirius’ room and find Harry awake in bed, so quietly pull him out of bed and get him settled downstairs with some juice and toast while I get showered and dressed for the day.

Sirius and I try to keep the boys calm in the morning and give them little activities that won’t wear them out too much since we have such a big afternoon and evening planned. Both boys will probably end up skipping nap and will probably be little hellions to try to get to bed tonight. But you can’t spend every day at home!

My mom bought the boys matching plaid button ups (I think it was a hint at the family pictures she wants done) and I can’t help but love the idea of our two boys in matching gray plaid and jeans. Molly invited my parents along today as well and I know my mom is excited to see the boys again. We went over for dinner one night this week, trying to get Harry used to spending time with his new grandparents before school starts.

Once the boys are dressed we floo over to the Burrow. Sirius first with Harry and then Teddy and I following behind them. As soon as we step through the floo, Arthur is there grabbing the food and bags off of us and directing Teddy and Harry outside to where the rest of the kids are running around with Ron and George. Teddy is off without a second glance but Harry is hesitant to leave our side which doesn’t surprise me at all.

“Sirius! Remus! It is so good to see you,” Molly says bustling out of the kitchen. “You are one of the first to arrive, so enjoy the calm why it lasts,” she laughs, walking over to give both of us hugs.

“Molly, Arthur this is Harry. Harry this is Mr. and Mrs. Weasley,” I say indicating the boy who is standing at my feet. With the attention now on him he turns his face into my leg.

I card my fingers through his hair and send an apologetic look towards them but Molly just smiles and heads back to the kitchen. Arthur leads me into the family room where Hermione and Ginny are sitting chatting. I settle myself onto the couch with Harry and wave Sirius off to the backyard.

Hermione and Ginny barely glance in my direction as I sit down and pull Harry into my lap. Whatever it is that the two of them are discussing, it has their full attention.

“Hello Professor,” I turn around to see Ron coming down the stairs behind me.

“Ron I have not been your professor in years. When are you finally going to start calling me Remus?”

“It just feels weird calling you that. Dunno,” he shrugged, flopping down in the seat next to me. “Hi, my names Ron,” he says once he notices Harry sitting in my lap.

“This is Harry, Harry do you want to say hi?” I’m surprised when he gives a little wave.

“Harry? Well that's a brilliant name! You know one of my very best friends was named Harry.”

“Really? I’ve never had a friend before…” Harry shyly mumbles.

“Who wouldn’t want to be friends with a great lad like you! You know what, can I be your friend?”

“Yes, please!” Harry grins leaning forward a bit to get closer to Ron.

“Well how about we go outside and see what the rest of the kids are doing? Maybe go on an adventure?” Ron offers, and to my immense surprise Harry nods his head before hopping off of my lap. Ron shoots me a crooked smile before grabbing Harry’s hand and leading him out the back door.


End file.
